MasterChef India winner Nayanjyoti Saikia: ‘Being discovered by Vikas Khanna is my biggest victory’

MasterChef India winner Nayanjyoti Saikia talks to indianexpress.com about his journey and whether the show was biased towards any contestant.

Masterchef India winner Nayanjyoti Saikia has never cooked professionally. (Photo: PR)

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Nayanjyoti Saikia was announced as the winner of MasterChef India on Friday. Santa Sarmah and Suvarna Bagul became the first and second runner up, respectively. Judged by Vikas Khanna, Garima Arora and Ranveer Brar, the finale also saw celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor as the special guest. Nayanjyoti, who hails from Tinsukia shared how the victory feels like a dream as he had never dreamt of surviving the competition for so long. “I thought I will just cook on the audition day, then I got selected and got the apron. And then before I realised it, I was in the final,” he told indianexpress.com. Along with a chef coat and a trophy, Nayanjyoti also won a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.

Followers of the show would know that Nayanjyoti’s father did not support his decision to be a chef. When asked if he has softened up seeing his son’s potential, the winner smiled to say that when Chef Vikas Khanna had come to his house to select him for MasterChef, his father, for the first time, felt that he could have a career in food. “However, I am closer to my mother so I would give her all updates and didn’t speak much with him. I learned that he had bought crackers and kept them hidden in his room. When my mother informed him that I won, he went out and burst them to celebrate. I think that somewhere he believed that I could win and today, he is the happiest,” he said.

Talking about his journey, Nayanjyoti Saikia said there were many moments of self-doubt as he has never cooked professionally. Also, with the competition being quite tough, he did not know how long he would survive. “The confidence came in slowly and I think not just me, but most contestants started feeling that they could win the show when we crossed the halfway mark,” he said.

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Nayanjyoti Saikia masterchef india winner

Nayanjyoti Saikia won a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh. (Photo: PR)

The MasterChef India winner though picks his biggest achievement in the way he was selected for the show. Recalling the time when Vikas came to his doorstep to select him for the show, he said, “Being discovered by him is my biggest achievement. I think I will put that in bold when I write my resume.” Thanking the judges for their support, Nayanjyoti shared that they were more like mentors and would often encourage the contestants even after the shoot.

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When asked if there was any truth to the judges being biased or favouring a particular contestant, as was suggested on social media, Nayanjyoti dismissed the conjecture. He added that the contestants understood what each of them was going through and would never discuss it with each other, and even the judges told them to stay away from social media. “The judges too encouraged us to be away from social media and focus only on the competition. I think everyone had a fair chance in the show,” the 27-year-old added.

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Discussing the tough three-course finale meal, Nayanjyoti Saikia said that he was most excited to see chef Sanjeev Kapoor in the kitchen. Calling him his first hero, the winner said that he wasn’t proficient in Hindi while growing up but would be hooked on to his shows. Nayanjyoti shared that while growing up, he would often try to recreate Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipes by adding his own twist, but would hardly succeed. “He was truly my first inspiration,” he shared. He further mentioned that while he does plan to open a restaurant, he first wants to work under chefs and polish his skills in the next couple of years.

Sana Farzeen

Sana Farzeen is an assistant editor at Indian Express Online and covers Entertainment across platforms. Apart from writing articles, features and opinions, she enjoys interviewing celebrities on video. An alumna of Calcutta University, Sana has previously worked with the Times Group and Tellychakkar. You can contact her at sana.farzeen@indianexpress.com. ... Read More

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